Scene Three of CASSANDRA: AN ONGOING TRAGEDY focuses on being forced to flee one’s homeland. Ester escapes the horror that was the Holocaust, while Lupe escapes the violence of the prolonged civil war in El Salvador. Both the playwright, Ruth Cantrell, and the composer, Michael V. Ficocelli discuss how these characters’ two different situations brought about different connections in the words and the music.

Scene Two of CASSANDRA: AN ONGOING TRAGEDY, after Cassandra speaks of her being cursed by Apollo, brings us to the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and the school shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Playwright Ruth Cantrell crafted this scene of different tragedies of children in harm’s way, while composer Michael V. Ficocelli uses diverse musical references to underscore the tragedy and violence.

Scene One of CASSANDRA: AN ONGOING TRAGEDY deals with war – the Trojan War, the Vietnam War, and the war of terrorism. In Episode 2, playwright Ruth Cantrell discusses how three women, Hecuba, Kim, and Maryam, separated by time and geography suffer and face universal sufferings. Composer Michael V. Ficocelli explains the influence of global music on creating music for Vietnam and Pakistan.

The Prologue of CASSANDRA: AN ONGOING TRAGEDY opens with the release of the Evils of the world from Pandora’s Box. We are then introduced to the character of Cassandra. In Episode 1, playwright Ruth Cantrell talks about why she chose Cassandra as a central figure in the play. Composer Michael V. Ficocelli provides musical details on how composing “Troubles & Vices,” the opening dance number of the play, laid the foundation for the rest of the score.

How MDTC's production of CASSANDRA: AN ONGOING TRAGEDY by Ruth Cantrell has resonated with those involved. ACTIVE SHOOTER! by Katherine Shamdin Katherine Shamdin Dear Mosaic patrons, as we prepare the premiere of our new work CASSANDRA: AN ONGOING TRAGEDY, I wanted to share my personal relationship with the work. I play many characters throughout the performance that have difficult hardships. As a performer it causes you to confront your personal life story and how it contras

We all know how a favorite article of clothing can lift our spirits. And, dancers have their favorite costumes. A few Mosaic dancers tell you about their personal favorites. Which costume will Katherine Shamdin choose? Morgiana Celeste Varricchio, tell us your choice.

In alphabetical order... Samara Adell, the Company's Artistic Director for Dance, is the Choreographer. She will be exploring many different styles of dance for this production. Samara also dances the title role of Cassandra. Nina Brewton, dancing with MDTC since the first production in 2003, performs as a member of the dance ensemble. She also performed in the past Hawaiian, Tahitian, Māori (New Zealand) and Samoan dances with several Polynesian Dance Companies. RUTH CANTREL

PRELIMINARIES ABOUT THE PRODUCTION November 10, 2025 Mosaic Dance Theater Company announces a world premiere production of CASSANDRA: AN ONGOING TRAGEDY by award-winning playwright Ruth Cantrell, scheduled for October 2026 in Montclair, NJ. As you recall from Greek mythology, Cassandra was a princess of Troy. She was blessed with the gift of prophecy by the god Apollo, but when she spurned his sexual advances, he turned her gift into a curse. Cassandra’s prophecies would be

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